David Steward II, the Oscar-winning founder of Black-owned Lion Forge Entertainment, is known for his achievements in amplifying diverse stories through his platforms. St. Louis-based Steward’s latest project, for which he is executive producer, is no different. Adapted from Roye Okupe’s best-selling graphic novel, Iyanu is an animated series rooted in Nigerian mythology, culture, and folklore and follows an orphan as she “unlocks divine powers and embarks on a journey of destiny alongside her friends and a mystical leopard.” The series premiered on Cartoon Network and MAX last month in the U.S. and will debut in 44 African countries on Showmax in June. Steward recently spoke with SLM about the experience making the project, as well as what he hopes it offers viewers.
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What was your experience like working on Iyanu?
As I’ve progressed in my career over the last 15 years, I’ve had to deal with varying lengths of time. For a comic book, you’re talking about 18–24 months of development, and it takes a lot of time to get it distributed. We shopped around the town, we did some test animation, and when it got picked up, then we started creating the writer’s room and hiring people. We went to City Academy [for an exclusive first showing of Iyanu, followed by a Q&A] and got the chance to talk to some fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, and to see their excitement, just to see their faces, it made it all worth it. I kind of thought to myself, this is going to be part of their childhood. They’re going to remember this moment.
Were there any challenges in the process bringing of this series come to life?
There’s always something. Not everything’s going to run smoothly. We try to deal with those challenges with a level of patience, understanding, and perseverance as well. In the shopping process, we found the best partners with MAX and Cartoon Network. We got rejections along the way, but we kept plugging away until we found the right partner.
What has been your favorite part of creating this new series?
Being able to preview some things with the kids at City Academy. That was a great moment. It’s one thing to have them inspired by characters on the show. But, it’s another thing to get them inspired, to want to create themselves and come into the industry. There were a couple of kids who came up to me afterwards to say, “I really want to pitch you this show,” so, we’re going to be scheduling some time so that I can walk them through how that process works because when they get older, I want them to be in my position, to do what I’m doing, you know?
How did your interactions with original Iyanu creator Roye Okupe influence the way that you executed this series?
Roye and I go back about 10 years, actually. He loved what we were doing on the comic side and what we were starting to do in animation, and he believed in our mission as a company. You had tons of people with all kinds of experience [developing this series] and then you had Roye–a relatively newcomer into animation. But they all worked collaboratively. It was all focused on what is going to be the best story–one that was imbued and filled with authenticity. You have to know when to lean into expertise in that subject matter, and I think we hit that working with Roye.
What do you hope kids gain from watching a series like Iyanu and from seeing an African-American male like yourself producing such a project?
Part of the inspiration is seeing someone else that looks like you and also seeing yourself on screen. There’s something powerful in that. A portrayal of yourself in a different light. I hope that shows that you can do it yourself, too.
